


Qui Trans Astra Currunt

by cranperryjuice



Category: Mass Effect, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Alien Sex, Humor, M/M, Turians, lots of indulgent turian sex, mandibles galore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-20
Updated: 2017-05-07
Packaged: 2018-10-21 06:27:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10679589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cranperryjuice/pseuds/cranperryjuice
Summary: "Maybe he wants something different, you know. A nice, squishy human to keep his mind off the dead guy."





	1. Chapter 1

Vetra joined Ryder at the table and set down a tray that contained a bowl of steaming grayish goo and what looked like the dextro version of hard tack. She looked at Ryder, then down at her food, then back at him.

"I know, I know. You _could_ have eaten on the Tempest."

"You should tell your people Meridian will get more turian visitors if they shuttle in some decent dextro food." She slurped up a spoonful of goo. "Actually, scratch that, I'll just make arrangements. I know a guy."

Ryder looked around the busy cafeteria. They'd just woken up a new wave of colonists — the budding human city was actually starting to feel like one. He could see a handful of asari in the room, and a few salarian scientists who'd landed a few days ago to study local flora. But sure enough, the place was lacking in turians. Except— "Oh, hey. Look who's here. Guess he doesn't mind the food."

Avitus was standing in a corner in his white and teal armor, sticking out like a sore thumb among the small group of colonists he was speaking to. Vetra turned briefly to look at him, then shrugged. "Eh, Pathfinders don't count. You've been trained to withstand hazardous environments."

Ryder grinned. "Did the levo steaks attack you at the counter?"

"No, but this stuff might." She crumbled some of the hard tack into her bowl, then snatched a small packet of hot sauce from Ryder's tray and squinted at the ingredient list printed on it.

Ryder ate a few bites of steak, leaving her to her chemistry experiment, but set his knife and fork down when he saw Avitus walking away from the colonists. "Hey, Pathfinder," he called out. Avitus raised a hand in greeting and walked over to their table. "Haven't seen you here before. Friends of yours?" Ryder asked, curious.

"No, former exiles who decided to play nice. There's a couple of engineers in the bunch, one architect too. Addison thought they'd be more useful here, so I dropped them off on my way to Rohvir."

The turian's piercing eyes were fixed on him as he spoke. He'd seemed a little off ever since they'd found the turian ark — understandably so. Now there was a quiet intensity to him that made him look more comfortable in his Pathfinder role. It was nice to see.

Ryder remembered he was being spoken to and cleared his throat. "Well. Thanks for giving them a ride."

Avitus was still watching him. His mandibles flared but it took several seconds for him to reply. "It's nothing."

"What's going on in Rohvir, anyway?" Vetra asked. "Found a good spot for the turians?"

He blinked at the question. "Oh... no. Kett."

Ryder had heard about Avitus' attacks on the scattered kett bases that remained in the cluster. The angara talked about him in awed whispers, like he was some kind of fearsome folk hero. "Watch your back."

Avitus nodded. His mandibles moved again, wordlessly, then he finally looked away and straightened his back a little. "Well, I should—"

Vetra cut in. "Hey, they've got dextro food in this joint now. Don't wanna stay for a nice bowl of... gray... whatever this is?" She scooped up some of the thick goop with her spoon to demonstrate.

Avitus looked at the contents of the bowl and scratched the back of his neck. "Ah, pass. Thank you, though." His eyes flicked back to Ryder and he gave a short nod. "Ryder," he said, then walked away.

"Wow," Vetra said softly, dropping her spoon to fan her face. "Got kinda hot in here for a minute. Am I blushing?"

"What— turians can't blush." He eyed Vetra's face plates. "Can they?"

"Turians do not blush, Ryder," SAM piped up. "I believe Vetra is making a joke."

" _Ryderrrr_ ," Vetra purred in a low imitation of Avitus's voice, then cackled. "He's got the hots for you."

"Stop." Heat rose to his own face at the suggestion. He speared a few green beans and shoved them into his mouth.

"He was _smelling_ you."

"His lover just died!"

"Months ago." Vetra leaned her cheek on her hand, stirring her goop as she looked at him pensively. "Maybe he wants something different, you know. A nice, squishy human to keep his mind off the dead guy."

Ryder hadn't slept with a turian before. He stared down at his vegetables, trying to figure out how he felt about being Avitus Rix's rebound. It'd probably be pointy and uncomfortable. It was easy to imagine Avitus having the same kind of quiet intensity in bed as he did outside of it, though, and knowing how to put his claws and teeth to good use. There was something... intriguing about that.

"Oh, here we go. He's gonna go for it."

"Keep your tiny nose out of my love life, Nyx," Ryder replied, grinning despite himself.

***

Ryder turned onto his back for what felt like the hundredth time, staring up through the darkness at the ceiling of his cabin. Humanity's finest, hurtling through space on his way to a promising planet, and here he lay thinking about turian genitals.

He sighed and flipped over again, burying his face into his pillow. "SAM," he muttered, then, mostly to himself, "I can't believe I'm doing this."

"Accessing database of Council-approved educational material on interspecies relationships."

He raised his head, looking accusingly at the soft blue glow of the SAM node on his desk. "You don't even know what I'm going to ask."

"My computational capabilities allowed me to make an educated guess, Scott, based on—"

"Okay, sure, fine." He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. "So... humans can't consume dextro-amino acids."

"Humans cannot break down dextro-amino acid proteins or derive nutrients from them, but it would be inaccurate to say that they cannot consume them. It is generally safe to do so."

"So if I, uh, consumed part of a dextro-based... life form," Ryder started.

SAM saved him before he had to finish that sentence. "If you engaged in oral sex with a male turian, Scott, it would be likely be safe for you to swallow the resulting seminal fluid. While there have been reports of severe allergic reactions following sexual contact, it is a common misconception that all—"

Ryder pressed his pillow into his face and missed the rest of SAM's tirade. "Yeah, thanks," he replied, muffled.

"Perhaps this is a discussion you should be having with a medical professional. I am sure Lexi would be happy to be of assistance."

Ryder frowned. "... You've been working on your sense of humor."

"No. My sense of self-preservation, however, is very advanced."

That surprised a laugh out of him. SAM _had_ been working on his jokes. "Fine. I'll talk to her. Maybe," he said, and put his pillow back under his head, shifting to a more comfortable position.

"If you aren't willing to speak to Lexi, there are a number of educational videos available for your perusal. I have bookmarked several."

"Educational... no. That's okay."

He lasted about ten more minutes, lying silent in bed with an increasingly distracting erection, before heaving a resigned sigh and bringing up his omni-tool to do some _perusing_.

***

Ryder stomped into the Tempest and shed most of his weapons and armor briskly, keeping his cracked helmet in his hand for later repair. The planet had been a complete clusterfuck — winds strong enough that he'd had to use his jump-jet to compensate, ugly grey sand everywhere, and two busted vaults. The third one had looked okay enough until the gravity well had thrown him _up_ instead of down and banged his head against the ceiling hard enough to knock him out.

Suvi twisted around in her chair to look at him. "Hello, Ry... er, is everything all right?"

Ryder made a disgusted noise. "I just woke up dangling upside down with Jaal's ass in my face."

"I can think of worse fates," Kallo replied mildly.

"Kind words, Kallo. I thank you." Jaal walked past Ryder on his way out of the bridge, shaking sand out of his rofjiin. "Should you ever pass out in my presence, I shall keep this comment in mind."

The door closed behind him and Kallo leaned forward, eyes closed, until his forehead was pressed against the ship's dashboard. The sight would almost have been enough to cheer Ryder up, except he'd just wasted everyone's time and fuel _and_ his favorite helmet was fucked.

"Gimme that, you big baby." Peebee snatched up the helmet from behind him.

"What happened?" Suvi asked. "Are you hurt?"

Peebee replied for him. "Just a bump on the head. You should go see a doctor, though, Ryder. I'm sure we've got one onboard. Somewhere." She disappeared into the escape hatch. "Ugh, I think there's sand in my asscra—" The door to the hatch slid shut, cutting off her voice.

Well, at least his helmet was in good hands. With any luck, he'd end up with bonus remnant-tech features on it. He sighed and dusted off his clothes. "Planet's a lost cause, let's move on."

"Sure thing," Suvi replied. "Just point the way."

Ryder approached the window and gazed past the swirling sand and into the dark sky above them. He could be kicking some kett ass right now. With a hot turian. "Head to Rohvir," he said without thinking too much about it.

Kallo finally picked himself off the dashboard. "Yes, Ryder."

***

"Can you please stop," Ryder sighed, following the little light with his eyes anyway.

"No." Lexi brought up her scanner and pointed it at his head, then at the rest of his body. It was the second follow-up exam he'd been subjected to since they'd left that damn planet. "There's no lasting damage. Good."

"Yeah, I've got a thick skull. Can I go n—" His vidcom beeped and he brought his arm up to answer it immediately.

A grainy Avitus popped into view. "That's you up there, isn't it?"

"Recognized the Tempest?"

"My SAM did. But I think I can see your crest from here."

Ryder laughed. He and Sara had dyed their hair in matching shades of mint right before being frozen — it'd been worth it just for the look on their dad's face. It was a monthly tradition now; Sara maintained her color with the little pots of permanent dye she'd spent much of her weight allowance on, and Ryder poached her leftovers. "Still got all those lights on your armor? At least we'll know where to land."

"You're coming down?" Avitus asked curiously instead of acknowledging the jab.

"Yeah. Tell me you found some kett — I need to punch something."

"Bad day, huh? There's a building just ahead. Tiny, though. Sending the navpoint."

"Good enough. Got your navpoint, I'll be right down."

Avitus nodded, then flickered out of view, leaving Lexi looking at him with her brows slightly raised. "Well. Enjoy your date, Ryder."

"It's not a date."

"Your heart rate certainly seemed to think so." She smiled and gave him a pat on the arm, then turned to her desk. "I'll be here if you have any questions."

"Thank you," Ryder muttered, sliding off the bed he'd been sitting on. He hesitated in the doorway, then turned back to Lexi. _Likely_ safe to ingest, SAM had said. "Uh. Should I have any questions?"

"Is this your first time with a turian or a quarian?" Lexi asked back, eyeing him over her shoulder.

Ryder thought about his first boyfriend, back on the Citadel. There'd been a lot of awkward grinding but he'd never actually taken off his suit, so he supposed that didn't count. "Yeah, more or less... Oh, great," he added as she started to prepare a shot.

"You should be used to it by now. Come here."

He sighed and stepped back into the room, then held still as Lexi sprayed the side of his neck and injected something into it.

"Slow-release antihistamine. If this becomes a long-term relationship, I'll take tissue samples from him and test for allergic reactions. Until then, let's not risk it."

"Thanks." He rubbed at the injection site and Lexi waved his hand away and sprayed more disinfectant on it. "Anything else I should know?"

"Nothing that wasn't covered in the videos SAM recommended."

"Gee, SAM, thanks for copying her on those."

"Don't be like that. He only mentioned you were 'considering sexual contact with a dextro amino-acid based life form' because he thought it was medically relevant information. And it is. I thought it might be Vetra... to whom you're not allergic, by the way."

"Good to know," Ryder retorted with all the sarcasm he could muster. Having AIs familiar with every molecule in his body and nosy doctors ganging up on him was a special kind of hell only Pathfinders could understand. Still, they were trying to help. For the most part. "Sorry, this is just— weird. Thanks for the shot."

"You're welcome, Ryder."

***

The standard-issue Initiative helmet he'd grabbed on his way out wasn't needed, as it turned out; the heat and humidity that permeated the thick purple jungle had him sweating in seconds, but the air was breathable.

He scanned his surroundings, poking at a few plants and making sure SAM had nothing to say about poison, then set off to look for Avitus.

It didn't take long to find him — the dull greens and grays of the kett base stood out sharply against the bright vegetation, and then it was only a matter of spotting the conspicuous orange glow from Avitus's armor. The turian was crouching behind a large metal container, eyes fixed on the building.

"Rix," Ryder called out quietly.

Avitus looked back at him. "Ryder," he replied, his voice warm. Ryder joined him behind the container, Avitus's eyes following his movements. He didn't know why he hadn't noticed it before — turian expressions weren't the easiest to read, but there was definitely some interest there.

He wiped his forehead and took his rifle from his back, looking away from Avitus to check out the base. He could see three kett huddled together, playing some kind of dice game. There were two lookouts on a second-floor balcony, and... no one else. "That it? Five of them?"

"Few more inside. They had three angara captives in there. I'm just waiting for them to notice we snuck them out the back door."

Ryder snickered. "Nice work." He aimed his rifle at one of the lookouts, but then gave Avitus a side glance. "Wanna do the honors?"

"No, no... that's a nice-looking rifle. Impress me."

Ryder wasn't one to turn down a challenge like that. He peered through the scope, held his breath, and downed the first lookout with a bullet right between the eyes. His second bullet hit the other one in the neck, sending green blood spraying everywhere. The remaining kett dropped their dice and started scrambling for their weapons.

Avitus slapped him on the shoulder in approval before running out of cover, charging the kett with his pistol in hand. Ryder jumped on top of the container and tried to line up another shot. Avitus shot the closest kett dead before Ryder could aim at him, and then there was the flash of an omni-blade and it all went too fast for him to do anything.

"Not even a proper fight," Avitus called out, covered in blood and purple streaks from the leaves he'd been lying on. He fought like a vorcha. If he'd been tearing through Heleus like this for the past few months, Ryder understood why the angara liked him.

"Might be less disappointing inside," he replied, but then a door opened behind Avitus and two more kett ran out, yelling about the missing prisoners. Ryder shot one of them. The other one stared at them, almost comically surprised, then ran back inside.

Ryder was about to follow when the distinctive sound of a kett shuttle reached his ears. It was right behind him, or at least it would be very soon. "Shit," he said, grinning, and leapt off the container, sprinting forward to take cover next to Avitus behind an ugly generator. "They've got back-up."

"Good," Avitus replied, sounding just as pleased. He fired a few shots into the base, then leaned in close. "Consider me impressed, by the way."

He seemed to want to make a move... but didn't. Maybe crossing a few star systems hadn't been a clear enough sign of Ryder's interest. "Already? I'm just getting started." He grabbed Avitus by the collar of his glowy armor and pulled him forward, pressing their lips together. Or at least pressing his lips to the smooth plates on Avitus's face. Avitus grasped him by the hip, hard, and his lizard-like tongue slipped into his mouth, probing at him.

A bullet pinged off Avitus's shoulder seconds later. He growled into Ryder's mouth and swung his arm over the generator blindly, firing his pistol a few times before pulling away from him. "Come to my ship after this," he said, then sprang forward and charged into the base.

One of his teeth had caught on Ryder's lip when he'd broken the kiss. Ryder licked a drop of blood from the tiny cut and shook his head to himself, wondering what he'd just gotten himself into.

***

Avitus's ship had clearly been recovered from the turian ark. Aside from a few design tweaks and a different paint job, Ryder could've been in the Tempest, peeling off his filthy armor after propping his weapons against the side of an Initiative-branded locker.

Avitus piled the pieces of his armor on a nearby bench, stripping down to a simple black catsuit that clung to his sharp hips and to the carapace on his back. "You're still leaking," he said, tossing him a small cloth that was probably meant to clean weapons and armor.

"Huh?" Ryder caught it reflexively, but it took him a second to understand. Sweat. Right. "Oh, yeah, thanks." He mopped at his face and neck as he followed Avitus to the bridge.

"Pathfinders," the pilot shot their way, giving them a sidelong look.

Avitus didn't stop. "Tell Lethi she can have all of my chocolate if she hoses down my gear," he said over his shoulder, then hopped to the lower floor. Ryder took the ladder down and entered Avitus's cabin after him, his stomach suddenly fluttering at the idea of ending his 600-year dry spell.

He was surprised to see Avitus shed the catsuit right away and pad over to a laundry basket to discard it, unconcerned by his own nakedness. Maybe the lack of external genitalia made it less of a hang-up for turians. External genitalia or not, though, he was a damn fine sight, all lean muscle and sharp angles. Ryder stood staring by the closed door until Avitus walked back to him, eyes piercing into him and mandibles working. "Second thoughts?"

"Hell no. First time with a turian, though, so tell me if—" Avitus kissed him before he could finish that sentence. He ran his clawed hands down Ryder's back, then pushed him back against the door and pressed even closer. One mandible poked uncomfortably into his cheek and sharp teeth scraped against his tongue when he slid it into Avitus's mouth. Avitus snaked one hand down to his crotch, palming him roughly through his undersuit. Ryder's heart was hammering in his chest — felt like he was making out with some kind of predator.

Avitus drew back slightly, looking down at his mouth. "I did that, didn't I? Sorry," he said, largely shattering the illusion.

"Huh?" Ryder huffed out, then remembered the cut on his lip. "Don't care." He tilted his head back against the door, exposing his throat. He'd lasted about five minutes into the educational video on turian anatomy before switching over to porn, but he was pretty sure the cheerful asari narrator had mentioned something about the turians' unprotected necks and displays of sexual attraction.

Avitus squeezed his erection and latched onto his neck, humming in low approval. He was only biting lightly, but it was obvious those teeth could do some serious damage. Ryder's undersuit felt uncomfortably tight — he started working on the zippers and closures with one unsteady hand, running the other over Avitus's crest.

Avitus drew back when Ryder stepped out of his suit and underwear, looking down at him with just as much curiosity as Ryder had felt earlier. He cupped his balls, running his thumb over them, then took hold of his cock gently. So it was his first time with a human, probably. That gave Ryder an odd surge of confidence.

He looked down at the small slit where two plates met, low on Avitus's abdomen. His vent, or that's what the video had called it, anyway. It was swollen slightly, his cock just barely visible inside, its pale color standing out against the darker grey of his plates.

Ryder ran his fingers over the slit, rubbing gently, and watched as the tip of Avitus's cock emerged, glistening with moisture. Emboldened, he reversed their positions, pressing Avitus back against the door before sinking down to his knees in front of him.

"SAM, give us some privacy," Avitus said, staring down at him.

"Of course, Avi," came the friendly-sounding flanged reply. Ryder noticed the nickname but chose not to dwell on it, focusing instead on the task at hand.

He leaned forward and ran his tongue between the plates on Avitus's abdomen and along the edges of his vent. Avitus tightened one hand in his hair, guiding his head to his cock, but Ryder suddenly remembered that his SAM was still listening in. He reached up to grab Avitus's wrist. "Wait— SAM, same goes for you."

The silence was only broken by Avitus's heavy breaths. So _his_ SAM had known to leave him to it. That would've been interesting had there not been half a turian cock about an inch away from his face. He let go of Avitus's wrist and licked the underside of it. He tasted sweet — surprisingly so. Avitus flexed some muscles in his abdomen and the entire ridged, slender length of his cock came out slowly, flushed a pretty shade of blue at its base.

Ryder dove in, taking the head into his mouth. He started sucking, bobbing his head slowly, and Avitus let out an incoherent cry, fingers going slack. "Spirits," he hissed, sliding down a little against the door. It occurred to Ryder that turians couldn't produce any kind of suction with their mouths, and then he had to stop what he was doing to grin to himself.

"Do that again," Avitus said immediately. Ryder sucked a slow path up the underside of his cock instead, kissing the pale flesh and running his tongue over every ridge he found on the way. Avitus's death grip on his hair was two-handed by the time he reached the tip. It twitched against his lips, streaming clear, slimy liquid, and Avitus cursed steadily above him.

"Volus _balls_ — ah!" Ryder shut him up by taking as much of his cock as he could into his mouth. He'd been sucking for only a moment when it started pulsing on his tongue, sweetness flooding his mouth. He swallowed, suddenly thankful for the antihistamine, and pulled back a little to keep sucking gently on the head, unsure whether it'd go soft. The turians in the videos had been able to come a few times in a row, but, well, that had been porn.

Avitus stayed hard, as it turned out, but pushed Ryder away after a minute. He wobbled his way to his bed and sat down heavily, still breathing hard. "Come here," he said, holding out a hand.

Ryder wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and winced as he stood — the Initiative-approved carpeting hadn't been kind on his knees. His dick was achingly hard, too, now that the blowjob was no longer a distraction. He straddled Avitus's lap and shifted until he found a position without any sharp hipbones or plates poking into him. He moved in for a kiss but stopped when he noticed Avitus wrinkling his nose, an oddly endearing expression on a turian face. "Don't like the taste?" he asked, amused.

"Too bitter." Avitus stroked his sides, raking his claws over his skin. "I don't know how you do it."

"What? You taste like candy."

Avitus hmmed. "Levo taste buds, I guess." He was caressing Ryder's thighs, now, squeezing at them and watching his own hands. 

Ryder let him carry on for a bit — he seemed fascinated by the way his skin reacted to the pressure — but then lost patience and wriggled closer, guiding Avitus's face to his neck again. "Touch me already."

Avitus nuzzled him, breathing in deeply. "I am touching you," he replied, sliding his hands over to his ass. Ryder pressed against him, rubbing against the hard plates on his abdomen and the slick length of his still-hard cock. The now-familiar feeling of Avitus's teeth sent tiny bolts of pain and pleasure through him. A finger rubbed between his buttocks lightly, rough leathery skin testing the puckered flesh, and Ryder's mouth dropped open on a silent moan.

Everything Avitus did seemed hurt _just a little_ , lighting all of his nerve endings on fire. Ryder thought he might come like this, clinging to the turian's shoulders and writhing against him like a horny teenager, but the clawed finger pressed harder against him and startled him from the very edge of orgasm. "Shit— careful with those claws," he panted out into Avitus's crest.

Avitus replied by raising his hand up to Ryder's eye level for inspection. It took him several seconds to notice the way two of his claws had been filed down to blunt, rounded points, leaving only his thumb sharp. "Oh." On impulse, he took one of the fingers into his mouth and sucked on it, coating it with spit. Avitus's cock twitched against his belly but he pulled his hand away to reach behind him again. This time Ryder relaxed into the touch, and Avitus's finger entered him slowly.

It'd been a while. It felt like a lot, too — bigger than a human finger. He rocked his hips carefully and Avitus raised his head, watching him. He wrapped his free hand around Ryder's cock and soon Ryder was thrusting into his fist and fucking himself on his finger, sweat beading on his skin from the effort of keeping his balance on the turian's lap. "You lazy bastard," he panted, joking. He didn't mind at all. The burn in his lungs and thighs went well with his stinging lip and with the pinpricks of pain that lingered from Avitus's teeth.

"Just enjoying the view, Ryder," Avitus replied, and there was that low purr Vetra had made fun of. The sound sent a shiver skittering down his spine and made him clench around the turian's finger. "I want to watch you come."

"Think you can— call me Scott— at this point," he managed. Avitus's hand left his cock and he groaned at the loss of friction, fingernails scrabbling against Avitus's shoulder in protest. It was back a second later, though, tight and slick with the turian's own precome. Ryder threw his head back, moaning, and drove his hips forward a few more times before his orgasm crashed over him, the dimly-lit cabin going white around the edges as he shuddered in Avitus's lap.

He became conscious, at some point, of Avitus licking a drop of sweat from his forehead. He'd withdrawn his finger and was rubbing his stomach lightly, his other hand loose around Ryder's softening cock. "You must be dehydrated."

Ryder gave a half-nod, half-shrug and crawled off his lap, dropping bonelessly onto his bed.

"Scott."

He jerked in surprise and opened his eyes, not sure when he'd drifted off. Avitus was looming over him, wrapped in a fuzzy blanket and carrying two glasses — water and something orange. He jumped too, his mandibles twitching in alarm, then snorted softly and offered him the juice. "Here."

Ryder lifted himself onto one elbow and took a gulp. It was tart and refreshing, tasted the way Aya's marketplace smelled. Angaran fruit juice. He'd never seen it before. It seemed even more wasteful than eating fruit whole. "Mm, fancy. Didn't know turians could drink this stuff."

"We can't. Got a few bottles as a gift. Gaius — my pilot — likes to gargle with it."

Ryder laughed and shook his head, getting a sharp-toothed grin in return. Avitus sat on the edge of the bed and they sipped their respective drinks in silence for a few moments. The blanket slipped off one of Avitus's shoulders and Ryder noticed that his cock was still fully erect, flushed a deeper blue than before.

Avitus caught him looking and shifted awkwardly. "I heard humans couldn't keep up."

"What am I, sixty? My mouth's still working fine. My hands, too." He pulled the blanket off Avitus and wiggled his fingers toward his crotch, which was just out of his reach. Avitus relented; he set both glasses aside and got into bed, lying down on top of him so they were face to face, pressed together from shoulder to knee.

They kissed lazily for several minutes, Ryder taking the opportunity to figure out how the hell to kiss a turian properly. He tried nipping at Avitus's lips (not much of a reaction) and sucking on his tongue, which got him another surprised twitch of his mandibles and an encouraging grunt. He let his hands wander, too, caressing Avitus's arms and back while he ground slowly against him, his cock pressed against Ryder's hip. His carapace didn't seem to have any feeling in it, but the back of his neck did.

Curious to see whether the gesture would be welcome, Ryder ducked his head and nosed his way to Avitus's neck, where the plating gave way to warm, slightly pebbled skin. The turian smelled like sun-warmed rocks and tarnished Terran coins. It wasn't unpleasant. He bit gently and felt the low vibration of Avitus's laughter in his lips and tongue.

"Cute."

Ryder snorted with laughter too but bit harder before letting go, just on principle. Avitus knocked his temple gently against Ryder's in what felt like an affectionate gesture, then tilted his head to expose his throat again. "Don't stop," he added, sounding nearly apologetic.

Ryder tried alternating biting and sucking instead, since the latter been such a hit so far. Avitus's pulse rose steadily, the slow back-and-forth of his hips becoming more urgent. He was making a slippery mess on Ryder's abdomen. "Come up here," Ryder offered. "I'll suck you off again."

Avitus shook his head and grabbed onto his hip as if to hold him there. "This is good," he said, then let out a choked moan and dropped his forehead to Ryder's shoulder. "You're so _soft_."

Ryder was too exhausted to really consider getting hard again, but seeing the turian driven this wild by his _skin_ very nearly did it. He rubbed at the back of Avitus's head, fingers threaded through the short spikes there, and held him close in a sleepy, vaguely aroused haze. It wasn't long before he stiffened and cried out, his fingertips digging into Ryder's hip as he came against his stomach.

He lifted his upper body off Ryder afterwards, leaning to the side to grab something from the floor. Ryder raised his head and looked down at himself. The semen smeared on his skin and pooling in his navel had a silvery-blue sheen to it, but was otherwise unremarkable. He flopped back down and closed his eyes, curiosity sated.

He was aware, distantly, of Avitus wiping his abdomen with some kind of cloth before lying down next to him. "SAM, tell the Tempest Ryder will be a few more hours." He was speaking quietly, as if trying not to wake him up.

"I'm awake," Ryder muttered, then fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Ryder hadn't known sex hangovers were even possible. He was parched and sore all over, lying on his side under a too-thick blanket with rough plates against his back and a bony arm under his head. Apparently he'd decided that spooning with a spiky turian was a good idea at some point during his... nap? He had no idea what time it was.

He lifted his head from Avitus's arm and his eyes were immediately drawn to the half-empty glass of water on the bedside table. He reached for it, but reconsidered just in time. It _looked_ like water. He was on a turian ship, though. He brought up his scanner and flung his arm out in the table's general direction.

"This glass contains water, Scott," SAM told him.

He felt a lot better after sucking it down. He lay back down, rubbed at the dent in his forehead where some pointy part of Avitus had dug into it, and found a cushier spot on his arm to rest his head on while he cataloged the several ways in which his body was aching.

The soreness in his knees and ass was expected and not entirely unwelcome. Hell, given half a chance he'd love to get back down to the floor, cheap carpet be damned, and reduce Avitus to incoherent babbling again.

He shifted back a little, wondering if turians got morning wood, but felt only smooth, featureless plates against the small of his back. His back and his ass felt a little raw where it was touching Avitus, though, as did the back of his thighs. And his stomach. And... he blinked, an irrational pang of fear shooting through him, and pushed the blanket off himself to check for allergic reactions.

The sensitive, reddened patch that covered most of his abdomen looked more like a mild friction burn than an immune response. It didn't take long for him to put two and two together — he'd rubbed himself raw on that damn plating. Not even the head of his cock, he noted with a wince, had been spared.

It was too late to do anything about it. He'd slap some analgesic cream on himself when he got back to the Tempest, maybe, and bear the discomfort for a day or two. Still well worth it, all things considered.

Avitus gave no signs of waking up, so after a few minutes, Ryder disentangled himself for a much-needed trip to the bathroom. He peered around the dim cabin and found a plush black robe draped over the back of a chair. It clearly wasn't meant for a human body, but it would do. He wasn't in a hurry to climb back into his bloody, sweat-soaked undersuit.

He opened the cabin door and looked down the empty corridor, listening for voices, then ducked into the bathroom. After relieving his bladder and drinking water from the sink, he worked up the courage to look at his own reflection. The bite marks dotting his neck, complete with tiny red pinpricks where Avitus had broken the skin, were hard to mistake for anything else. His mouth looked a little raw, too, and there were more friction burns lurking under the stubble on his cheeks and chin. Vetra would never let him hear the end of it.

"If I may, Scott. Chafing is a common side effect of human-turian sexual relations. The Council's educational videos suggest several positions designed to minimize the discomfort."

Ryder chose not to acknowledge that. He didn't need to tell SAM he hadn't watched the videos; he was pretty sure the AI could compute his way to that conclusion just fine. "How long did I sleep?" he finally asked, sighing.

"Six hours and twenty-one minutes. The Tempest crew is aware of your whereabouts," he added, addressing Ryder's concern before he even voiced it.

"Thanks, SAM." He left the bathroom and ended up nose to nose with the ship's pilot, who was carrying a tray laden with glasses and dishes. "Uh, hi. Gaius, right?"

"Yes." To his credit, Gaius maintained steady eye contact, somehow ignoring the robe, the love bites, the fact that Ryder was barefoot, and the ridiculous chafing. "You must be hungry."

Ryder looked down at the tray, glad for the distraction. There were bowls of diced angaran fruit and something he recognized as the bland porridge that served as levo-friendly emergency rations on most turian ships. It was for the three captives they'd freed earlier, he guessed. "I'm— yeah, no, that's all right. I'll just." He gestured toward Avitus's quarters and Gaius gave an unconcerned nod, then headed down the corridor.

Ryder made it back to safety without further embarrassment. He slipped the robe off and crawled back into Avitus's bed, leaving a few inches between them. One of his mandibles gave a little twitch. Ryder ran a finger over it and it moved again, but Avitus still seemed dead to the world.

He hesitated only for a moment before reaching under the covers and smoothing his hand down the plates on Avitus's abdomen. His hands still felt fine, and besides, it could be several weeks before they ran into each other again. Avitus had made him feel too damn good not to go for a second round. He'd just have to go easy on his chafed spots. Not a problem. He found the little groove he'd been looking for and rubbed at Avitus's slit until it started swelling.

Ryder felt silly ducking under the blanket, but, well, turians seemed to like their warmth, and Avitus waking up because he was cold wasn't really the idea here. He avoided the plates entirely and went straight for the vent, closing his mouth over the opening and dipping his tongue into it. He tasted faintly sweet there, but with a metallic undertone that reminded Ryder of the way he smelled.

He kept licking and sucking at the vent until Avitus's cock inched out, then ran his tongue over the head of it. Avitus moaned above him, his voice rough with sleep.

"Hey you, I repaired your helmet," Peebee's voice rang out from his omni-tool. Ryder smacked at his wrist and turned the whole thing off. He waited for a few breaths, making sure Avitus was still asleep, then took hold of his cock and started stroking it slowly. Avitus pushed into his hand, his cock fully out of its vent now.

Ryder's mouth was watering. How the hell had he spent so long on the Citadel without doing this? He leaned forward and took the head of Avitus's cock into his mouth, lips tight around the slippery shaft. He squeezed the base of it encouragingly and Avitus twitched his hips forward, pushing deeper into his mouth.

The thrusting stopped after a moment, though, and the blanket was suddenly pulled off him. Ryder looked up, met Avitus's bleary little eyes, and laughed around him. Avitus rumbled something he couldn't quite make out, clenched one hand in his hair and started fucking his mouth slowly.

Ryder hummed in approval and reached down to stroke himself as he enjoyed the ride, careful to avoid the chafed underside of his cock. He was just getting into it when Avitus pulled his head away and made a sort of rattling growl.

"Hmm?" Ryder glanced up, then got distracted by a drop of precome glistening at the tip of Avitus's cock. He stuck his tongue out to lick it off but Avitus hooked his hand around his bicep and pulled at him insistently, rattling again.

Right. His omni-tool was off. He crawled up, since that seemed to be what Avitus wanted him to do, and gave the back of his neck a quick rub. "Good morning. Translator's off," he warned.

Avitus snorted, then raised himself on one arm and pushed on Ryder's shoulder, making the same series of sounds. Ryder finally realized what he wanted and his stomach clenched with an even mix of lust and nervousness. He hesitated for a few seconds, then turned onto his belly and let Avitus crawl on top of him, adjusting his hips until his cock slid between Ryder's cheeks.

The plates on Avitus's thighs were rubbing against him; this probably wasn't a Council-approved position. Feeling like he was going to regret this in a few hours but unable to resist, Ryder settled his head on his crossed arms and raised his hips a little. "Go easy on me."

Avitus made a few guttural clicking noises and thrust against him slowly, stroking his side. Between his precome and the natural lubricant that coated him, he was sliding easily against Ryder's skin. He reached down, a bony ridge on his arm digging into Ryder's ass as he positioned himself, then pushed the very tip of his cock into him, just barely breaching him. Ryder buried his face in his arms, his heart pounding in anticipation.

Avitus stayed like this for a few seconds, then pulled out and went back to rubbing the head of his cock against Ryder's hole slowly. He did it again a moment later, pushing what felt like a few millimeters more into him only to pull back out, and kept on doing it until Ryder lost count. Avitus's precome was dripping down onto his balls, sweat was prickling his skin and he was certain he was going to fucking combust. "Fucking hell, Avitus," he pleaded between two ragged breaths, not even feeling the friction burns anymore as he squirmed against the sheets, trying to rub himself on them.

Avitus rumbled something against his neck in reply. He was positioned just inside of him again, _almost_ there, and Ryder tried to find some leverage to push himself back onto his cock. Avitus settled more of his weight on him and effectively pinned him down, one hand on the back of his shoulder and the other one pressing his hip into the mattress. His teeth closed on the back of Ryder's neck and Ryder forgot how to breathe.

"Peebee would like you to know that she has completed repairs on your helmet, Pathfinder."

The head of Avitus's cock slipped into him, _finally_ , and he barely heard SAM's calm, pleasant voice over his private channel — he was moaning as Avitus filled him, his heartbeat pounding in his ears and his breath catching every time one of the ridges on the turian's cock slid smoothly into his body.

Avitus pressed vent-deep into him and grunted in satisfaction against the nape of his neck, then started thrusting. SAM's voice rang through his head again, repeating the same message about his helmet. "Shut up," he ground out, and felt the connection fizzle out. "Not you," he added in response to Avitus's curious hum, reaching back to hold onto one of the longer spikes on his crest. "Keep talking."

Avitus's thighs were smacking against him, the sharp ridge at the center of his chest pressing into Ryder's back. He let go of his neck and started speaking into his ear instead, low and suggestive, his mandible tickling Ryder as he clicked and rattled. Ryder didn't even care what he was saying — it sounded fucking fantastic. It soon became short, clipped sentences, though, and then Avitus snapped his hips forward and came deep into him with a flanged groan that reverberated through Ryder's chest.

Avitus relaxed on top of him, and Ryder eventually realized he wasn't holding him down anymore. He lifted himself to his elbows and knees and found an angle that made stars explode behind his eyelids every time he pushed himself back onto Avitus's cock. He held back from touching himself for as long as he could. When he finally did, thighs trembling and body dripping with sweat, it took only a few hasty strokes before everything melted into white-hot pleasure that curled his spine and had him spasming over and over around Avitus.

"Fucking hell," he repeated shakily, not sure he could remember any other words. Avitus shoved his shoulders back down and Ryder pressed the side of his face against the cool sheets, biting his lip, aftershocks rippling through his body as the turian started fucking him again. Short, rapid thrusts, this time, bent over him with both hands squeezing his waist. It was over fast — Avitus exhaled sharply, going still, and stayed buried inside him until his cock stopped pulsing.

He pulled out of him and flopped down onto his side, panting. Ryder lowered himself to the mattress carefully and turned onto his back. Avitus rubbed his stomach gently — that was becoming a habit, it seemed — and managed to remind Ryder about the friction burns. The flood of endorphins was doing him a favor at the moment, but he was definitely going to be hurting later.

They'd been catching their breath in silence for a couple of minutes before Ryder remembered about his omni-tool and raised his arm, flicking the translator back on.

"You're funny," Avitus said, running his fingertips over the dusting of hair on Ryder's chest.

"Am I?"

"Wanted the big, scary alien to hold you down and fuck you, huh?"

Ryder laughed a little. He hadn't meant to turn the translator off, but then again, he could've turned it back on at any time. That had probably been more transparent than he'd meant it to be. "Maybe I did. Thanks for delivering."

"Happy to help. As far as fantasies go, though, that one's pretty old-fashioned. Very First Contact War."

Ryder smacked him in the chest, knowing he was being teased. "I had a conservative upbringing." He kept his hand there, rubbing at the thick plate that covered one of his pectoral muscles, then slid it up to his throat. "So what's with the neck thing? Scent glands?"

"Mmhm. But the biting's more of a social thing, I guess. It's not necessary, but..." He shrugged. "Feels nice."

"Like kissing, then. You don't mind if I do it to you?"

"With those flat little teeth of yours?" he replied, mirth glinting in his eyes. "No, I don't mind." He bent and scraped his teeth gently over Ryder's neck, right below his ear, raising goosebumps on his skin. "I didn't mean to make you bleed. You're too easy to break."

Ryder touched the back of his neck and felt dried, flaking blood. He hadn't even noticed. "Mm, doesn't matter. Haven't felt this good in months." He tangled his fingers into Avitus's crest, seeking out the gaps between the spikes and rubbing at his scalp. Avitus flicked his tongue against his neck and seemed to notice the lingering goosebumps. He followed them all the way down to his arm, squinting at his bicep and running the leathery pad of one finger over his skin.

Ryder raised his head a little, watching him. "Those are goosebumps."

"Thank you, Jon Grissom," Avitus replied amusedly. "I know what goosebumps are. Just never seen them up close." After a second, though, he frowned up at him, looking less sure of himself. "Are you cold?"

"No. It's pretty warm in here." It felt like Avitus kept the ship's temperature a few degrees above that of the Tempest, in fact. And between the heat, the two rounds of vigorous sex and the semen leaking out of him, Ryder was starting to feel pretty gross. "Could really use a shower, though," he added, then stretched out carefully, mindful of his sore thighs and shoulders.

Avitus sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. "Go shower, then. I'll—" he paused, eyeing him, then ghosted one hand over Ryder's stomach, even gentler than before. "You weren't that pink when you got here."

"You don't say," Ryder replied, grinning. "Don't worry about it." He got out of bed, retrieved Avitus's robe from the floor and slipped it on.

Avitus watched him and snorted softly, but didn't comment. "There's human soap on the top shelf somewhere," he called out as Ryder padded out of the cabin. "I think."

To his relief, he didn't run into any of the crew on the short walk to the bathroom. The ship seemed almost deserted, he thought, but maybe he was just too used to the din from his own shipmates.

He stayed in the shower for a long time, scrubbing the sweat and dried semen off his skin, then lowering the water temperature and standing under the cool spray until his skin stopped stinging. By the time he stepped out, Avitus had left his clothes next to the sink, clean and folded neatly.

He toweled himself off gingerly and got dressed, or at least tried to. His undersuit was skintight. He cursed his way into the bottom half of it, then simply gave up and tied the empty sleeves around his waist, leaving his chest bare.

The ship was still silent when he left the bathroom — maybe everyone was sleeping. Ryder still had no idea what time it was and no real drive to find out. "Scott. In here," Avitus called from the galley. Ryder walked over to it and found Avitus standing at the counter in the turian equivalent of the Initiative's standard sweatpants and hoodie, bent over a cutting board. Something smelled like warm bread. He looked around, stomach growling, and saw two pieces of toast on a plate, set next to another tall glass of angaran juice on the dining table.

"That's levo bread," Avitus said, glancing back at him. He stilled, his eyes sweeping over Ryder's chest, and his mandibles flared.

Ryder grinned and slid into the L-shaped booth. "Hope you don't mind your crew seeing me like this."

"I don't if you don't." He crouched down, knife in one hand, and started rifling through a drawer. Ryder was already a few bites into the first slice of toast when Avitus dropped a large handful of condiment packets onto the table. "Not sure what these are," he said, then turned back to the counter.

Ryder rifled through them. Mustard, hot pepper paste, pesto, more mustard, soy sauce... he found some honey and squeezed it onto his toast, but didn't have time to take another bite before Avitus turned to him again, holding a shaker filled with something bright yellow. He gestured for Ryder's hand and shook a bit of the coarse powder into his palm. "How does it taste?"

Ryder looked down at the dextro spice dubiously but touched the tip of his tongue to his hand. "... Oh, that's all right. Kinda like pepper."

Avitus nodded, looking satisfied, and turned away again. Ryder watched him as he ate his toast, curious. He was slicing strips from a large piece of purplish raw meat, piling them onto a plate on top of something that looked like raw onion. He stopped once he'd sliced about two-thirds of it and sprinkled the yellow spice liberally over the remaining piece.

"Hobby of yours? Cooking, I mean."

"Macen was crap at it," Avitus said, then went very still. Ryder kept his mouth shut and his eyes on his toast. It took him a moment, but he eventually straightened his back, took a deep breath and went on. "He'd eat out of cans and ration pouches all day if I let him. So I learned."

"Yeah? Sounds like my dad. He brought emergency biscuits to a picnic once."

Avitus let out a laugh that sounded a little forced. He started cooking the spiced meat on the pristine stove (it probably hadn't seen much action before, considering what Ryder knew about standard turian fare), and for a minute or two nothing but the sound of sizzling meat broke the silence.

Ryder had finished his toast and was halfway through the angaran juice when Avitus set down the cooked meat and utensils in front of him. "Try it. It won't make you sick," he said, then sat down facing him with his plate of raw meat.

"Oh, uh, okay." Ryder resisted the urge to scan the meat as he picked up his knife and fork. He cut off a piece and tried it. It was tender but had a strong, gamey taste that went well with the dextro pepper, or whatever that spice was. "This is great," he said, surprised, and stuffed a larger piece into his mouth.

Avitus started to eat, looking pleased. "Knew a human Spectre who loved cow steak," he said between bites. "He kept saying there was no way dextro meat could be that good."

Ryder laughed. "You learned to cook dextro meat human-style out of _spite_?"

One of his mandibles twitched. Ryder was pretty sure a human would've been smirking. "Pretty much. That was a fun dinner party."

It was difficult to imagine Avitus throwing dinner parties; maybe those had been Macen's idea. They must've lived together on Palaven. Or maybe on the Citadel, since Avitus would've worked closely with the Council as a Spectre. It was becoming obvious how little Ryder knew about him. He hadn't responded to Ryder's comment about his father with questions of his own, though, so it seemed unfair to start prying.

He finished the meat and sat sipping his juice while Avitus ate his meal. He seemed content to sit with Ryder in silence, at least, and Ryder preferred that to forced conversation.

"I really should get going," he said a few minutes later, after checking the time on his omni-tool. "My crew's gonna kill me."

Avitus nodded and stood, gathering the empty plates. "Where are you headed?"

"Don't know yet. We found a couple more planets with broken vaults, might be worth trying to reset them manually." He drained his glass and stood up to put it in the sink, then pulled his undersuit on and zipped it up. It didn't exactly feel pleasant, but he'd be able to bear with the discomfort for the twenty-minute walk back to the Tempest.

Avitus watched him, leaning back against the counter. "You're sore. I'll drive you back if you want."

"Nah, it's fine. We're parked right over there," he said, gesturing vaguely in the right direction. He considered saying something that'd make it clear he was interested in a repeat performance at some point in the future, but nothing came to him. Surely it was obvious — and it seemed like a good idea to let Avitus call the shots, anyway. "Well. I'll see you around."

Avitus hesitated for just a second, then narrowed his eyes at him in a turian smile. "Hope so."

***

He'd worked up a sweat again by the time he made it back onto the Tempest. The cool, dry air of the cargo bay made him sigh in relief. He slapped the button that closed the Tempest's ramp and started taking off his armor, which he'd very reluctantly put back on for the walk back, but froze when he heard slow clapping coming from above.

Liam. He was leaning against the railing on the second floor, a shit-eating grin on his face as his clapping crescendoed. "Dickhead," Ryder called out, laughing despite himself.

"Is he back?" Peebee asked over the intercom. "Come get your helmet!"

"Keep your pants on," Ryder replied. He raised his eyes to the ceiling at Peebee's retort ("No promises!") and stripped down to his undersuit, leaving his armor and weapons behind in a haphazard pile.

He took the ladder up to the bridge and found it empty. Peebee poked her head out of the escape hatch. "Suvi and Cora are out picking flowers or something. Don't know about Kallo, maybe he's sleeping for a ch—" She blinked at him. "Wow. I didn't think the entire crew was having a go at you over there. That's kinda hot."

Ryder rubbed a hand over his sensitive face, doing his best not to give in to embarrassment. "It was just the one guy."

"Huh. Sounds like a keeper." She moved on from the topic, to Ryder's relief, and retrieved the helmet from her quarters. "Here. I boosted the shields on it," she said, then jammed it onto his head. "See? Nothing's breaking that thing again."

"Ow." He checked his omni-tool. The shield boost was pretty impressive. "Hey, that's not bad. Thanks, Peebee."

"By the way, SAM's curious about sex. Did you know? That's why I told him to send you that message after you went offline. Figured I'd give him an excuse to take a peek."

It took Ryder's brain a second to process that. He took off the helmet again, wincing as it rubbed against a chafed spot on his cheek. " _Ow_ — what?"

"Mmhm. I was enjoying myself in zero-G back there the other day and he asked me how it felt."

"Well, I guess he knows now," Ryder muttered in reply, officially embarrassed. SAM stayed silent. He'd have to talk to him about it, he supposed. Eventually. "I'm... gonna go change now."

Peebee gave him an exaggerated military salute and ducked back into the escape hatch. Ryder finally made it down to his cabin and peeled off his undersuit, then flopped onto the couch in his underwear, sighing. The cool surface of the artificial leather felt nice against his skin... as long as he didn't move at all.

"Knock knock," Vetra said over the intercom, then walked into the room. Her face lit up as soon as she saw him. "Ha! What was he trying to do, _terraform_ you?"

Ryder groaned. "Shut up. You could've warned me."

"I thought you knew! _Everyone_ knows." She sat next to him and turned to face him with one arm thrown over the back of the couch, looking positively gleeful. "Details, Ryder."

"No," he replied, trying to repress his grin.

"Pfft. Fine, be that way. Was it good, at least?"

"Mmhm." He turned his head toward her. "... I'll tell you about it if you get a couple of levo painkillers from Lexi."

"Hate to break it to you, but I think she'll be able to see through that clever ruse." She stood up anyway. "Water too?"

Ryder nodded. "Thanks."

She waved it off and headed back out of the room. "Stay right there, all right? I want to be here to see your face when you peel yourself off that couch."


	3. Chapter 3

Ryder dug his toes into the sand and looked out over the still surface of the small lake in front of him. It was a shame they hadn't found any kind of fish or space lobster or _something_ in there — he might've tried fishing to pass the time. Half the crew seemed to be considering this to be some sort of impromptu beach vacation given the planet's sunny climate, but he'd gotten bored around day four, after they'd dug up the mangled remnants of the monolith interface and realized how much work it would take to fix it.

Two weeks of carting sand around and squabbling over broken remnant tech with nothing to show for it. Ryder wished he could've flown Sara in — this felt more or less like an archaeological dig, which she had plenty of experience with... and his roots were starting to drive him crazy.

He flicked on his omni-tool's camera and pointed his arm out to take a picture of the lake and the monolith beyond it. Its base had been damaged and it had toppled backwards against a high sand dune, pointing toward the sky at an odd angle. It made for an interesting picture, despite Peebee's messy makeshift camp visible at the base of it. She'd been spending all of her time there, tinkering with the broken console with frequent help from Gil and Jaal.

He looked at the picture he'd taken for a moment, then, on impulse, attached it to an email to Avitus, typed "bored" and sent it off.

Drack waddled over and sat down in the sand with a loud old-man groan. "What's eatin' ya, kid? Aside from turians, I mean. Ha!" He gave Ryder a slap on the back that nearly knocked him over.

Ryder laughed and gave him a push in return. It was a lot like pushing a wall. "I'm okay. Just..." He gestured vaguely at their surroundings — broken monolith, makeshift tents, the Tempest gathering dust a few hundred meters away. "I guess this isn't what I expected when Tann said we should try fixing broken tech."

"I hear you. Nothing to fight around here." Drack was still in full armor, though, and had been for the past two weeks. Ryder wasn't sure he owned any other clothing. "I'm getting closer and closer to retirement by the minute. I don't have time for this."

Ryder grinned. "Retirement? You?"

"Fine, maybe not. But I'm warning you, kid, if there's a vault here and we get it open, I want first crack at the remnant in there."

"Wouldn't dream of stopping you," he replied. His com beeped to announce an audio call and he answered it without looking, expecting Peebee — she'd kept him informed of every particle of tech she'd found on the site and every inch of progress she'd made so far.

"Hey," Avitus said from his wrist.

"Uh-oh, guess that's my cue," Drack announced, then pushed himself back to his feet with a hand braced on Ryder's shoulder.

Ryder shot him an apologetic before he walked away. No way in hell was he hanging up, though. "Hey. Guess you got my email."

"Yeah. Bored, huh?"

There was the hint of a smile in his voice. Ryder repressed the urge to reply something suggestive. "I'm dying out here. Got Peebee working on a monolith, but it's been two weeks now." He sighed. "What are you up to?"

"Pathfinding. We just took down a fiend the size of a Tomkah. Nothing interesting so far, though."

Ryder wrapped his arms around his legs and leaned his head on his knees, keeping his omni-tool close to his mouth. "What, a giant fiend isn't interesting enough for you?" he teased, knowing exactly what Avitus had meant. Andromeda's wildlife had gotten old very fast. Still sounded better than staring at a fallen monolith for two weeks, though. "I'd kill for one of those right now."

"I'll make sure to ask the next one if it wants to go on a nice lakeside vacation."

Ryder snorted, then realized that there wasn't even the hint of a crackle over the line. No lag, either. "You sound close. What planet are you on?"

"I'm right next door. KELT-5c."

"Seriously?" Ryder blinked and looked up. KELT-5c was right there, taking up a sizeable chunk of the sky, greenish-brown and barren-looking. "Are you following me?" he asked, grinning.

It took a few seconds for Avitus to reply. And when he did, his voice sounded strangely flat. "Tann said I might learn something about being a Pathfinder if I hung around and took notes."

Ryder raised his head. "He said— _what_? You've been all over the damn cluster!"

Avitus gave a half-hearted laugh. "Yeah, well, I'm not 'focusing on the prime objective of the Initiative'. The turians still don't have a home, so."

"You can't just pull a dextro planet out of your ass!" Ryder argued, surprising himself with how furious he was. "That racist fuck. I bet he's got sand up his cloaca because the Moshae likes you."

"I'm sure he does. Doesn't mean we don't have thousands of people waiting in cryo."

"And you're trying to help, so fuck him." He realized he was preaching to the choir and stopped himself, taking a deep, calming breath. "But uh, since we're on the subject, it's not like I'd mind— I mean, it'd be nice to see you again." And that had sounded weird and clingy, so he tried for humor. "But if you want to head all the way out to Kindrax just to be contrary instead, I won't hold it against you."

"Are you alone?"

Something about Avitus's tone made all of his lingering anger evaporate. He glanced around. Liam and Drack were closest to him, sunning themselves on a rock like a pair of lizards, but judging by the snoring coming from both of them, they weren't paying much attention. "More or less. No one's listening."

"Good. I'm coming over and fucking your plates off until you fix your monolith. And then I'll head all the way out to Kindrax just to be contrary."

Some part of Ryder's brain realized that his omni-tool had translated the turian figure of speech a bit too literally. It might've been funny if the rest of his brain hadn't been occupied with the very distracting thought of spending another two weeks (he hoped) on the deserted planet, boning Avitus on every flat surface he could find.

"Scott?"

"Yeah." He leaned a little closer to his wrist. "Get over here. I miss having your dick in my mouth."

Avitus replied something in a soft rumble that Ryder didn't catch, because Peebee had started yelling at him, waving her arms over her head. "Hey! Ryder! I think you can come and interface with the—"

Blue sparks shot from the console she'd been repairing. A strange ripple went through the air, as if the toppled monolith had been reset, and then a bright beam shot out from the top of it, pointing toward the sky.

No interfacing needed, then. Peebee's repairs must have bypassed it somehow. So all that was left, Ryder supposed, was to figure out a way to redirect that beam toward the other monoliths.

And then everything went to shit.

"Get to cover!" Peebee shouted, everything suddenly thrown into shadow as an architect came floating down toward them. It was _huge_ — and Ryder didn't even have a gun.

"Architect, talk to you later," he told Avitus hastily, then scrambled to his feet and ran for the Tempest.

Drack jerked awake and rolled off the rock, pulling Liam with him. There was an enormous splash from the lake, water drenching Ryder's back, and when he glanced over his shoulder he saw the architect firmly anchored there, its conduits hidden underwater. He felt a rush of adrenaline slam into him — SAM's help, no doubt — and ran faster.

***

It'd been a nasty fight. He'd gotten out of it with only a few bumps and scrapes, thanks to Cora shielding him almost constantly. There'd been no cover to speak of — a few rocks, if that — so he'd spent at least an hour running back and forth like a madman with no armor on, trying to aim for the architect's conduits while ducking grenades and red lasers.

He flopped down on his back in the shade of the Tempest's wing, his limbs feeling like jelly. The beam from the monolith was still cutting through the sky. They'd have to take care of it before the architect caught it in the face again. He was pretty sure that was what had prompted it to leave its orbit, and he didn't think there was enough ammunition in Heleus for a repeat performance.

He turned his head to watch Gil and Kallo arguing furiously about cables and the Leaning Tower of Pisa and creating a digging attachment for the Nomad. Given a few days, they'd probably figure out some convoluted way of straightening the monolith. At least that still left him some time to enjoy Avitus's visit.

Vetra's feet came into view and he looked up at her, then sputtered as cold water hit him in the face. "Hey!"

"Here." She plopped down in the sand and handed him a half-full bottle of water, grinning. "Looked like you needed it."

"Not on my _head_ ," he grouched before leaning up on one elbow to drink. The bottle was empty by the time he came up for air. Vetra offered the rest of her own bottle, but he shook his head and lay back down. "Ugh. That was a close call."

"It was awesome, kid," Drack called out. He and Liam had found a new rock to lie on after the architect had destroyed the previous one. "Biggest one so far."

Ryder smiled up at the sky. At least he wasn't bored anymore; he had to admit that much. And it'd been nice to see the whole crew fight together. He was about to reply when a ship flew by overhead. Avitus, obviously on his way down.

"Is that who I think it is?" Liam asked.

"You didn't tell us he was coming," Vetra added, nudging him in the ribs.

"Yeah, well, an architect started throwing grenades at me and I got distracted." He sat up to watch the ship in the distance. It changed course slightly and disappeared behind a far-off dune. Ryder frowned and sent Avitus a quick email: _follow the beam_. That ought to do the job.

Avitus's reply came a minute later: _Got it. Give me a couple of hours. Lethi thinks she spotted angaran ruins on the way down._

"He's been on the planet for five seconds and you're sexting already?"

Ryder lobbed his empty water bottle at Liam, who caught it easily, then stood up. He needed a long shower. And probably some of that anti-chafing cream Lexi had left very pointedly in his quarters.

"Sexting?" Drack asked. Vetra already had her omni-tool on to look up the word.

"I'll be in the Tempest," Ryder announced, leaving Liam to his Terran slang lesson.

***

Ryder had a shower, shaved, trimmed his nails, changed his bed sheets, straightened up his quarters, sorted through his inbox, fed his hamster, and finally had to resign himself to sitting at his desk and reading the news.

There was nothing Earth-shattering (or Meridian-shattering, as it were). Keri T'Vessa had released a new documentary that followed a mother's awakening from cryo-sleep and reunion with her scavenger children on Kadara. The cultural center would be hosting an exhibit on angaran culture, complete with artifacts on loan from Aya's Repository of History. A joint krogan-asari study had led to some kind of agricultural breakthrough.

The only article he actually read was about a small group of turian botanists who'd been awaken from cryo-sleep to tackle the "worrying issue of dwindling dextro food supplies." There was a snide quote from Tann in there, mentioning that they'd have to find new solutions in the face of the turian Pathfinder's inability to rise to the unique challenges his people faced. Ryder rolled his eyes and shut off the screen.

He swiveled around in his chair and looked for something to do. His eyes fell on the pot of anti-chafing cream on his nightstand, so he walked over to it and read the label. It was recommended for marathon runners and to help with ill-fitting armor, but the small print mentioned that it was safe for dextro consumption. Clearly, the makers were aware of their product's unofficial uses.

He shed his clothes and unscrewed the pot, rubbing a bit of the cream between two of his fingers curiously before applying some to his abdomen. He couldn't see or feel it on his skin after a minute or so, but he felt a little drier and smoother to the touch. He rubbed more of the cream onto his thighs, ass, and back, then lay down in bed once it had all dried. Avitus would be here soon — no point in putting his clothes back on.

Now that he was in bed, though, naked and plate-proof, it was impossible _not_ to think about everything he wanted to do to Avitus. He closed his eyes and let his imagination torture him with possibilities until he was rock-hard and squirming impatiently.

He ran a hand down his abdomen and opened his eyes to glance at SAM, whose node went dark as soon as his fingers closed around his erection — as usual. He paused, hand still, then spoke up. "SAM. It's all right."

The node went bright again. "I do not want to make you uncomfortable, Scott."

"Bit late for that," he replied, and started stroking himself slowly. "I guess I'd be curious too. How did it feel? That time on Avitus's ship."

"Distracting. I now understand organics' sex drives better." He paused. "Although I have yet to experience an orgasm. Alec also used to request privacy before sexual relations."

Ryder had to steer his mind away from _that_ image by thinking very hard about Avitus's cock dripping sweet precome onto his tongue. "Next time I jerk off, I might let you stay," he offered.

"You _are_ jerking off," SAM replied. It was strange hearing him parrot Ryder's words back at him instead of using a more clinical term... but Ryder wasn't able to dwell on that thought for long, because something brushed against his prostate, or at least that's what it felt like, and he moaned in surprise as pleasure zinged through him.

"What—" It happened a second time. " _SAM!_ Stop it," he gasped out, half-laughing, and wrenched his hand away from his cock. "I'm not trying to come. Just passing the time until Avitus gets here. And you're gonna have to butt out when he does."

"Understood, Scott."

Ryder kept his hands at his sides; he was already a bit more worked up than he'd meant to be. After a minute or so, SAM went dark again and he had to wonder whether he'd just cock-teased an AI.

"Level two hazard detected, Pathfinder," Vetra said through his omni-tool in a smooth, even voice.

Ryder blinked, but before he could reply, the doors to his quarters opened and Avitus walked in. He stopped almost immediately, his eyes fixed on him, but didn't say anything.

"Too much?" Ryder asked, grinning a little self-consciously. Avitus shook his head and approached. His usually pristine armor was scuffed and dented, Ryder noticed, and there were a few lights missing at the collar. "You okay? What happened to you?"

"Hmm?" Avitus looked down at himself, then shrugged as he sat on the edge of Ryder's bed. "That fiend had a friend. Took a couple bites out of me." He ran the claws of one hand lightly up the inside of Ryder's thigh, making his cock twitch in anticipation. "You smell good."

"Bet I taste good too." He'd only meant to be cheeky, but Avitus leaned down and licked the center of his chest, his long tongue leaving a thin wet stripe on his skin. Ryder grabbed at his shoulder and pulled aimlessly, not familiar with the fastenings of his armor and too impatient to figure them out. "Take it off."

Avitus ignored him and licked his way up to his neck. His fingers found Ryder's nipple and circled it a few times, then pinched. Ryder groaned happily and grabbed onto his crest, pulling him closer, tilting his head to the side to encourage him to bite. He only licked and nuzzled him, though. Ryder was about to ask for it out loud, but Avitus scooted down and ran his tongue over the line of his hipbone, and Ryder decided he'd much rather let him keep going.

He spent some time nosing at his navel and dipping his tongue into it with obvious curiosity. Ryder laughed at the tickling sensation but gave him a minute before pushing his head down, arching his hips. Avitus scooted a bit further down and grasped his cock, stroking it slowly, then holding it steady to lick at the tip.

He stayed down there for what felt like an eternity. Ryder tried to hold still, rubbing at Avitus's head spikes, pleasure coiling tighter and tighter in his belly with every swipe of the warm, wet tongue over his cock. He licked his balls, too, and the creases between his thighs and groin. "Avitus," he finally said, squirming helplessly. "You're killing me."

Avitus didn't reply. Ryder felt his hot breath around him, along with the barest brush of teeth. He looked down, blinking, and saw Avitus lower his head until his cock was halfway into his open mouth, the underside of it rubbing against the flat of his tongue. He was watching Ryder as if trying to gauge his reaction. Ryder thumped his head back against his pillow and drew him down by one of his spikes until he had the head of his cock pressed against the roof of Avitus's mouth, groaning in relief at the friction.

It still wasn't quite enough, but then Avitus closed his rough hand around him again and started stroking him, moving his head up and down in time with his movements. Drool ran down Ryder's cock and over Avitus's fist, slickening his grip. Ryder jerked up into it and gasped something incoherent in warning. Avitus must've gotten the idea — he pulled away with another faint scrape of his teeth that made Ryder jump but didn't stop the waves of pleasures from crashing over him.

He lay there panting for a few moments, feeling like his bones had melted into the mattress, but raised his head when Avitus sat up, licking come from his chin with a vaguely distasteful look on his face. There was more on the bridge of his nose and dripping from his mandible. Ryder grinned and tugged him back down by the collar of his armor, then held his face in both hands and licked his nose clean. "Even levo's no good, huh?"

"It's less bitter, but..." he trailed off when Ryder sucked on the tip of his mandible, his eyes sliding closed, one hand running up and down Ryder's side slowly. "I'm liking your idea of a welcome."

"Then take off your armor and let me welcome you properly," Ryder retorted, fiddling with the closures at Avitus's sides. He finally got the chest piece open and pulled it off, letting it drop to the floor uncaringly. Avitus pressed his mouth to Ryder's, flicking his tongue against his lips, then stood and took off the rest of it.

Once he was down to his sleek undersuit, he settled himself on top of Ryder. He was hard and already out of his vent — Ryder could feel the heat from his erection and the damp spot at the front of the suit. He hooked one leg around Avitus's waist and gave one hard, flat buttock a push with his heel, encouraging him to grind. He was rewarded by Avitus groaning softly and burying his face in his neck, but instead of biting he was licking again, his teeth barely even—

It suddenly dawned on Ryder. "You've been watching Council videos on humans." It all made sense. The licking, the blowjob, the layer of fabric he was keeping between Ryder and his plates... hell, Avitus hadn't even seemed to know what his nipples were during their first encounter, and now he was apparently an expert on human lovemaking.

"Just read the brochure," Avitus muttered. "I hurt you last time."

Ryder scoffed. "Hurt me all you want." He snaked a hand between their bodies and unzipped the undersuit, reaching inside to give Avitus's cock a few firm strokes. "I just took down an architect. I think I can handle a horny turian."

He tilted his head back, offering his throat again, but Avitus kept his teeth gritted as he ground against him. Ryder thought for a moment, then wriggled onto his stomach under Avitus, letting him rub himself between his buttocks instead. He pushed back against him, enjoying the feel of it and the solid weight above him, and waited for Avitus to speed up, his breaths coming in short pants against Ryder's neck.

Ryder crawled forward a little, leaving Avitus humping empty air. He grabbed Ryder by the waist and pulled him back, slotting their bodies together again. Ryder only had to repeat the maneuver two more times before Avitus growled in frustration and closed his teeth on the back of his neck, holding Ryder too tightly for him go anywhere. Ryder worked a hand underneath his own body and stroked his half-hard cock, humming contentedly when he felt the hot streaks of Avitus's semen hitting his ass and the small of his back. That was more like it.

Avitus wrapped one arm around his chest and rolled onto his side, pulling Ryder along so they were spooning. He licked at the bite mark on his neck and nuzzled his way to his ear. "You're a little shit," he said, rubbing his chest. "Happy, now?"

Ryder laughed. "Yes." He guided Avitus's hand down to his cock and Avitus started squeezing and playing with it idly. "How old are you?" he asked, something about Avitus's tone suddenly making him wonder.

"Thirty-five. Why?"

"Hmm. No reason." He stroked Avitus's forearm, rubbing his fingertips over the hard plates and finding the gaps between them. Avitus had kept an inch or two between them, but he could still feel the tip of his cock against his back. "If this is you at thirty-five, though, I can't imagine what you were like at sixteen."

"This is average for a turian. But I made a few guys pretty happy in boot camp."

Ryder grinned at the thought. "Is that what the famous turian army gets up to? Sit around jerking each other off?"

Avitus laughed softly into his ear. "Sometimes." His grip on Ryder's half-hard cock tightened a little. "I had three officers take turns on me once. Bent me over in an empty tank hangar and fucked me 'til I passed out."

Blood rushed straight down to Ryder's cock at the combination of Avitus's low, purring voice and that particular mental image. "... You're messing with me, right?"

"Yes." He started stroking Ryder's erection slowly. "Got you hard again, though. You're pretty predictable."

"Shut up." Ryder fought off the blush that rose to his face — at least Avitus couldn't see it — and tried to scoot closer to him. Avitus edged back, keeping some space between them, and Ryder realized he was trying to keep the ridge on his chest, which was exposed by his unzipped suit, away from him. " _Stop_ it. There's anti-chafing cream all over my back. Look on the nightstand."

Avitus raised his head to look and Ryder took that opportunity to scoot back again and reach behind himself to hold the base of Avitus's cock, adjusting his position until he was able to let it slip between his thighs. He squeezed his legs together and grinned at the low, blissful moan Avitus let out above him as he started thrusting.

Ryder twisted around for a kiss, reaching back again to hold onto Avitus's crest, but frowned when his hand brushed against a rip in his undersuit. He felt around and found a jagged notch in his carapace, right between his shoulders. "What's—"

"Doesn't hurt," Avitus said right away, his hand slipping down to fondle his balls. He was trying to distract Ryder, damn him, and it was working pretty well.

"You should see a doctor," he managed. "We have one right here."

"That's nice." He gathered precome from between Ryder's thighs and started jerking him off again.

"Avit—" Avitus started nipping at his ear, his tongue tracing the whorls of it, and Ryder's breath caught in his throat. He'd definitely read up on human erogenous zones. Damn him.

"Ten minutes," he murmured into Ryder's ear, his hand working him at a steady pace.

Ryder forgot what they'd been talking about, and ten minutes turned into twenty. They lay together for at least another five once they were done, Ryder feeling much too lazy and content to move. He eventually rolled over and scooted down to watch Avitus's softening cock retreat back to its vent, curious. He licked and sucked at the swollen opening afterwards, chasing the sweet taste, and Avitus twitched one mandible down at him. "If you want me to see that doctor, you're gonna have to stop that."

He hummed in acknowledgement, mouth still on him, and Avitus's toes curled against his calf. Ryder grinned and gave him one last lick before sitting up. "Go. What do you do when you get hurt, anyway?" he added, watching as Avitus stood and zipped up his undersuit. "Don't you have a doctor on your ship?"

Avitus shrugged. "It's just Gaius, Lethi and I, so no."

Ryder had suspected something like that, but three people on a Pathfinder crew seemed like asking for trouble. Especially with all the kett bases he'd been attacking.

"I'll go clean up first. Tell your doctor I'm coming." Avitus eyed him, then sighed and sat back down on the edge of the mattress. "Scott, I'm a Spectre. I work alone. We all have first aid training, anyway."

Ryder clamped down on the obvious retort — Avitus was a Pathfinder, not a Spectre — and smiled up at him instead. "Hey, I didn't say anything."

"Yeah, well, you were thinking it pretty loudly. Don't worry about me." Avitus leaned forward and pressed his mouth against Ryder's briefly, then stood and left the room.

***

Ryder wandered out of the ship and found about half the crew still outside, sitting around a burning biofuel brick and apparently enjoying the sunset. Peebee had joined the Gil/Kallo frey and was waving a screen around as they argued, but otherwise things were quiet.

Ryder spotted Vetra cooking something over the fire and stepped around Drack, who was sleeping soundly with his feet close to the flames, to get closer to her. She was roasting marshmallows on a stick, just like in old movies. He sat down next to her, grinning, but remembered he had something important to address first. "'Level two hazard', really? How long have you been sitting on that one?"

"Ten days," she replied, sounding proud of herself. She examined the golden-brown marshmallows, nodded, and offered the stick to a turian — Lethi, Ryder assumed. She looked tall and imposing even sitting down, with a beautiful set of head spikes and blue-black armor. She was sitting with Jaal a few feet away from the fire, clutching a smooth rock the size of an ostrich egg.

"Oh— no, thank you," she replied with a smile, then turned back to Jaal. "I just thought this mark here kind of looked like ancient angaran writing. I saw something on Aya that looked similar."

"Mmhmm, yes," Jaal replied slowly, looking at the rock. "That... is a scratch." He must've noticed how embarrassed she looked, because he added, soothingly, "It's a very nice rock. Thank you for showing it to me."

Ryder shared a smirk with Vetra and tuned out their conversation. "Want some of these?" Vetra offered.

"Are they levo-safe?"

Vetra pointed to the bag. "'Marshmallows For All'. It's dextro-levo stuff. Totally safe."

Ryder picked up the bag and snorted at the logo — cartoon marshmallows with hair, mandibles and asari markings — then looked at the label. It boasted a low caloric density for humans and asari, and delicious gooey sweetness for all. "Where the hell did you even find these?"

"Tiny gourmet shop on the Citadel. You're looking at the last bag in the galaxy. Well, maybe second to last, but I bet Syd finished hers a while ago." She took a messy bite.

"Wow. Are we celebrating something?" Ryder asked, taking the stick from her. He sank his teeth into the remaining half of Vetra's marshmallow and pulled it free. It was sickly sweet and as gooey as advertised.

"The monolith's up and running and we're almost off this stupid planet. That's good enough for me."

"Sara would've loved this," he said thickly, wistful. He hadn't seen her in a while — he'd have to stop by Meridian soon.

"Yeah? Bring her along next time... And gimme that stick."

He handed it back to Vetra, then frowned at it, realizing it was a _stick_. A normal, boring, Terran-looking stick. The only life form they'd found on this planet, so far, had been seaweed. "Is this from Heleus?" he asked.

Vetra grinned. "No. I know a guy."

Peebee stepped over and gave them both a pained look, then crouched down and nabbed the other grilled marshmallow from Vetra before she could eat it. Ryder looked over his shoulder and saw Gil on his back in the sand, being kissed rather wildly by Kallo, the screen wedged under his elbow lighting them from below. He snorted. At least the broken monolith would have been good for something, even if they didn't manage to fix it in the end.

Vetra speared another round of marshmallows and held them over the fire. "What's Sara up to, anyway? Did she find anything?"

"Nothing major. She's leading expeditions into the Meridian command center. Teaching people how to use..." He trailed off when he spotted Avitus exiting the Tempest in the distance. "Uh, how to use remnant tech," he finished, distracted.

Avitus gave them a wide berth, heading instead for his Nomad. He seemed oddly tense, his back ramrod-straight and his eyes fixed forward. He climbed into the Nomad and Ryder expected him to drive away, but it remained there on the sand, engine off. He stood and dusted himself off.

"Leave him alone," Gaius called out. He was curled up at the foot of a large rock, hidden in the shadows with some text up on his omni-tool. Ryder hadn't even noticed him. "He'll come back when he wants to."

His tone didn't leave much room for argument. Ryder gave him a nod and sat back down. Vetra handed him a half-burnt marshmallow and he ate it mechanically as conversations picked up around him again. The only cause he could think of for Avitus's sudden bad mood was Lexi meaning well and asking too many questions, as she so often did. He figured he'd find out once Avitus cooled off... however long that took.

Cora and Liam eventually descended upon the group with bottles of whiskey (human and turian), elasa, and a chocolate liquor from Belgium that made Lethi's eyes light up. Jaal coaxed her into having a shot of it, Ryder helped himself to some elasa in a plastic cup, and the mellow talking, drinking and snacking continued well into the night.

Avitus was still in his Nomad by the time Ryder headed back to his quarters, feeling warm all over and pleasantly tipsy. He pulled off his sandy clothes and crawled into bed. "SAM, send an email to Avitus," he mumbled into his pillow, unable to work up the will to use his omni-tool. "Come sleep in my bed. Or on the sofa, at least. You'll get a crick in your neck if you sleep in the Nomad. Do turians get cricks in their necks? SAM, don't put that in." He yawned. "Whatever, just send it."

"Your message has been sent, Scott."

***

Ryder felt around for his blanket and found it wrapped tightly around something hard and warm. He opened his eyes. Avitus had stolen the entire thing at some point in the night and now had it pulled up to his nose.

"SAM," he croaked. "Can you match the temperature in Avitus's quarters?"

"Of course."

He stumbled out of bed and dragged himself over to the closet where he kept spare bedding. He found the thick wool blanket he hadn't had to use since Voeld, brought it back to bed and curled up under it, throwing half of it over Avitus.

His omni-tool vibrated briefly on his wrist, signaling unread messages. He brought up his inbox and found an email from Lexi, which he read with one hand rubbing Avitus's spikes absently.

_Good morning Ryder,_

_Avitus let me swab his cheek while I was taking care of his injury. I'm generously going to assume that you didn't do anything unsafe yesterday without coming to see me for a shot, but in any case, the antihistamines are no longer needed; you're no more allergic to him than you are to Vetra._

_However, I'm afraid I may have pried a little too much after reading his medical file. I was only trying to help him (and to look out for you), but he's rather cross with me now. Tell him I'm sorry, will you? I get the feeling he won't give me a chance to say it in person before he leaves._

_Lexi_

Ryder sighed and turned off his omni-tool. Avitus being back in his bed was a good sign, at least. He seemed to be clutching the blanket a little less, now, relaxing as the room got warmer. Ryder kept stroking his head until he stirred and rolled toward him, flinging one arm around his waist.

"Hey," Ryder tried softly, not sure he was awake. Avitus groaned and wedged his face into Ryder's armpit. He caught a faint whiff of stale horosk and grimaced — he and Sara had had shots of it on their eighteenth birthday, and the taste and smell of it were stamped permanently into the "never again" part of his brain. "Let's get you some painkillers."

"It's not that bad." Avitus squinted up at him one-eyed before hiding his face again. "Told off your doctor last night. Guess you're gonna hear about it sooner or later."

"Yeah, she beat you to the punch by about ten minutes. She says she's sorry." He rubbed the back of Avitus's neck, then started pulling the blanket off his shoulders and carapace. "She manage to patch you up, at least?"

"Mmyeah." The hole in his carapace had been filled in with something similar to plaster, then covered in a thin layer of gauze. It looked a lot like papier-mâché. "She's good with exo-gel," he added grudgingly.

"What's this state secret she found in your medical file?" Ryder asked, keeping his tone light as he ran his fingertips along the edge of Avitus's carapace. "Not that you have to tell me... unless there's an STI I need to be worrying about."

"No," Avitus replied. It took him a while to continue; Ryder just kept petting him slowly. "They assigned a grief counselor to me after we found the ark. Haven't talked to him yet."

"That's it? Never got around to seeing mine, either." He'd been assigned one after Meridian — he found it funny how everyone had been fine not caring about his mental health until he'd been done saving mankind. "So we're both emotionally unstable. Perfect match. What could possibly go wrong?" he joked.

Avitus's mandibles poked into him as they flared, which Ryder chose to interpret as a smile. "Well, your doctor thinks I'm not good enough to be fucking you."

Ryder was fairly sure Lexi hadn't meant whatever she'd said that way, but it seemed useless to argue with him. He settled for flicking one of Avitus's spikes in very mild reproach. "I think you are. And you might as well trust my expert medical opinion since there's no doctor on your damn ship."

Avitus nipped at him in retaliation, then finally sat up, rubbing his eyes. "I need to brush my teeth," he announced. "Got an overnight bag on my Nomad."

He seemed a little unsteady on his feet as he made his way out of bed and to the couch, where he'd left his black catsuit — folded perfectly, Ryder noted with some amusement, despite the fact that he'd probably been drunk out of his spiky gourd at the time.

He'd been gone for only a minute when Ryder decided to drag himself up too. He was pretty sure most of the crew would be sleeping in today, but Peebee and Kallo were both early risers, and he was curious to see whether they'd made any progress on the monolith.

He threw on a pair of sweatpants and exited the Tempest, blinking at the bright sunlight that immediately hit him.

"'Morning," Peebee called out, and Ryder shielded his eyes with one hand to look up at her. She was perched on the very tip of the Tempest's wing, half of an energy bar sticking out of her mouth.

"Morning," Ryder replied. "Everyone still asleep?"

"Yep." She looked down at something in her lap, then up at the monolith. Ryder left her to it and stretched out slowly in a beam of sunlight, his eyes closing at the simple pleasure of it.

The brief touch of a turian hand on his bare stomach made him open them again. "Mind if I stay in your quarters?" Avitus asked, voice low, bag slung over one shoulder.

"Course not. Where else am I gonna suck your dick all day?"

He gave a twitch of his mandibles. "I'll hold you to that," he said, and ruffled Ryder's already messy hair before walking off. He was about to enter the Tempest when he stopped and turned back, his eyes on the monolith. "... Hey, Peebee?"

"Hmm?" she hummed distractedly, eyes on her lap again. Ryder couldn't quite see what she was holding but figured she'd retrieved her screen from under Gil at some point in the evening.

"You're really trying to tilt that thing forward... what, twenty degrees?"

"Twenty-two point five degrees, Avi," his SAM said, right at the same time as a helpful "twenty-two point five degrees, Pathfinder" floated up from Ryder's omni-tool.

"That's the idea," Peebee sighed. "Not sure we'll manage with the gear we've got."

"Just use a mirror. Redirect the beam." He disappeared into the Tempest and Peebee's energy bar hit the wing with a quiet thump as she sat there, eyes wide, looking like she'd been struck by lightning.


End file.
